A major concern for immobile patients and like persons are medical conditions that form clots in the blood, such as, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and peripheral edema. These conditions associated with patient immobility may be controlled or alleviated by applying intermittent pressure to a patient's limb, such as, a leg to assist in blood circulation. Such compression devices are typically constructed of two sheets of material secured together at the seams to define one or more fluid impervious bladders, which are connected by tubes to a source of pressure for applying sequential pressure around a patient's body parts for improving blood return to the heart. Conventional DVT devices focus on two methods for providing compression therapy—(1) a separate pump connected by tubes to a combination wrap/bladder and (2) an integrated pump/bladder/wrap.
Shortcomings of the devices that require tubing are numerous. Typically, such devices present a tripping hazard and are inconvenient to use and manage. Additionally, such devices typically lack true portability. Conventional pumping systems are usually dependent upon an AC power source and too bulky to provide a patient meaningful opportunity to travel while using the system. Furthermore, conventional devices cause discomfort to a patient by preventing or severely limiting circulation to the patient's wrapped limb. As a result, patients often complain of sweat, soreness, and general discomfort of the limb. Moreover, conventional systems obtain pressure readings at the inlet port, which does not necessarily provide an accurate measure of pressure at the most remote parts of the bladder. Thus, the requisite pressures may not be achieved at such remote parts of the bladder during pumping. Several solutions to these problems are disclosed in related Patent Publication No. 2014/0303533, which is titled “Portable Intermittent Pneumatic Compression System.” This related application is hereby incorporated by reference.
Reusability is another shortcoming of current DVT devices. In a hospital or clinic setting, numerous patients must reuse the same DVT devices, but the wrap or cuff needs to be reprocessed before it can be used again. Because reprocessing is a significant cost to hospitals, a less expensive disposable option is needed. Disposal wraps or cuffs would eliminate the need for cleaning and reprocessing. The other option is to continuously buy new wraps or cuffs at a high cost to the healthcare provider, and a cost-effective cuff or wrap would alleviate those concerns.
Currently, a DVT wrap manufacturer's business model is to provide the compression pump to the medical institution at no charge and the manufacturer receives compensation by requiring the medical institution to purchase a given number of wraps per pump. Conventional wraps include an air bladder combined with features to provide for donning and attachment, which allow the patient to wear the compression wrap for therapy. This pump consignment business model is used because it allows a healthcare provider to have compression pumps without entering into a capital purchase process. This current business model benefits the wrap/bladder manufacturer because it guarantees sales, but has risk because they are responsible for pump maintenance. Healthcare providers are supposed to purchase new wraps, but they have found ways to use cleaning services to reuse wraps at a significantly lower cost, which upsets the business model.
The present invention was designed to overcome one or more of these portability, reusability, and disposability problems with the current DVT devices.